By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
If we truly loved Catholics who don’t go to Sunday Mass, commit adultery, fornicate, lie, steal, or commit any other mortal sin we would correct them because we want them to choose life. But in many cases we do not. Among the reasons for this are that we who are faithful often lack courage animated by Christ-like love and those who are in grave sin often continue to feel very much exuberantly alive.
Silence in the face of sin is, however, not an option because in that case love itself becomes a sham and this brings ruin to all of us.
Fr. James Martin, SJ, recently used the example of the Last Supper, and the possibility that Judas there received Communion, as a precedent for following through on the Kasper proposal which they publicly support and promote for giving Communion to Catholics in a state of objective mortal sin through adultery.
Did Judas receive Communion? If he did, does that mean people in mortal sin now should also receive? Fr. John Echert on EWTN Faith answers forum in 2004 offered the following response:
“There is room for debate as to whether Judas was present at the time of the Holy Eucharist or not, although St. Augustine believed that he was present and did receive. Augustine wrote that our Lord allowed Judas to receive, as a sign for all time that even to the highest level, there would be scoundrels in our midst. However, his reception would not have been a source of grace, but of further condemnation. Furthermore, assuming he received, our Lord may have allowed it, so as not to expose Judas to the others, since his sin was not yet acted upon and public.
“Incidentally, whether true or not, the mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich relates that an angel snatched the Holy Eucharist from the mouth of Judas, to avoid such a desecration.
“Related to that, let me say that in current practice, those who are public sinners — to include pro-abortion politicians — have no right to Holy Communion and should be refused It, as the Vatican has recently directed. Not only is it a desecration, but also a scandal and source of danger to the faithful, since some will assume that such behavior and political positions are acceptable to the Church.”
Thomas Aquinas says Jesus did not commit mortal sin in giving Communion to Judas because Judas’ sin was not manifest and obdurate, the two conditions that require a priest to refuse Communion to someone who seeks it. In His human intellect Christ did not know Judas’ betrayal naturally, but only supernaturally.
The final document detailing the deliberations of the bishops during the recently concluded Synod on the Family in Rome has been approved and published. Some who follow the Martin and Fr. Thomas Rosica line of thinking, and identify pastoral love solely with the liberalizing of sacramental practices, are reading out of it that couples in a second attempted marriage are to be given permission for reception of Holy Communion. They engineer this innovation by using the “internal forum” verbiage in the synod’s final document as a kind of elephant’s nose under the big-tent concept of Church.
Helping me to write this column was listening to a podcast by onepeterfive.com with an interview by Steve Skojec with Franciscan University professor Dr. Michael Sirilla. He mentioned the teaching by Aquinas in reference to Judas’ Communion at the Last Supper. He reminds us that synods have undone the work of previous synods and Popes have excommunicated previous Popes. The past is prelude for life in the Church as well as in the world. Popes can err, being human as are all of us, and disagreeing with a desire of a Pope to give Communion to those who have attempted a second marriage after a sacramental one is not sinful.
One doesn’t give food to a dead body and thus one does not give the Eucharist, our true spiritual Food, to someone who is spiritually dead. The Eucharist is Food for the increase of grace in one who is already spiritually alive, that is, free of mortal sin. If someone lacks knowledge that an objective mortal sin has rendered them truly spiritual dead, we must share that truth with them, for this is the very definition of love as it truly is.
In God Himself truth is never without love and love never without truth. All of love is found in truth and all of truth is found in love as they truly exist in their fullness in God because in Him, they are truly one. In God there is no division or distinction between everything that is good, true, and beautiful. Telling those we love that they are “dead,” if they are lacking the state of grace which renders all of us truly alive, makes us truly loving.
Christ alone possesses life for He is Life Itself. In Him the love of truth shared with others makes us also truly alive. Omitting to share the truth with others may put us spiritually at risk.
May God grant each of us the grace to be perseveringly and truly Christ for others, sharing unstintingly with them the truth in Christ that sets all of us free for Life Eternal. The desire to share that beautiful life unending with all whom we love is the very best gift we can give them, now and always.
Thank you for reading. Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.
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(Follow me on Facebook at Reverendo Padre-Kevin Michael Cusick and on Twitter @MCITLFrAphorism. I blog occasionally at APriestLife.blogspot.com and mcitl.blogspot.com. You can email me at mcitl.blogspot.com@gmail.com.)
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